darinklein, Author at Travel on Two Wheels

July 30, 2022

The Metacycle ship-tease continues

Pictures of the bikes and of trucks backed up leaving the port of Los Angeles have not made things better for those of us who are waiting on our fully paid (bike & white glove delivery) Metacycles.

It’s going on years now and Sondors’ communication to us first 2,000 should be better than this. If there are specific problems we should know about them so at least we know that things are either stuck for this reason or moving slowly for that reason.

I also called their phone line and their text support hearing two different stories. That did not help my concerns.

The new site: https://sondorsx.com/pages/portal-go shows a few bikes all spread out, but that’s certainly no where near the 2,000 us early adopters have ordered.

We’ll see how it goes, but even though I was told by Sondors support it would be here “definitely before winter”, I’m starting to doubt that claim.

June 24, 2022

Metacycle update 20220624!

Received notification email this morning that had me pay the final amount for delivery charges. Done!

The email had the content shown below:

Dear Darin,You’re a Metacycle Owner in the first round, so this is a very exciting time for you. The first round of Metacycle is on the way, and will be arriving to Los Angeles very soon.

Metacycle orders will begin shipping this month as planned. All orders will be filled based on the order in which our team receives the individual colorways (Naked Silver, Supermassive and Arctic).

Our logistics team will then process your order based on the order your initial purchase was made. First come. First served.

We will continue to keep you updated throughout this process as additional information and timing is confirmed.

Please note, due to the current volume restraints our shipping partners and white glove delivery service providers are experiencing, deliveries will begin in June and continue throughout subsequent months until all orders are fulfilled.

Once your Metacycle arrives to the SONDORS Los Angeles Logistics Center and has passed final inspection, you will receive the specific white glove delivery details for your order via email.

In the meantime, please use the link below to make your final payment. The remaining total charge of $700 includes shipping freight and white glove delivery service at a substantial discount in honor of our early adopters.

In true SONDORS form, we have done our best to absorb expenditure increases caused by fuel hikes, escalations in shipping costs, and overall inflation endured throughout the duration of this project.

Once your final payment has been received your order will be activated for delivery and will remain in queue based on the date of your original purchase.

You’ll want to complete registration of your Metacycle at your state’s motor vehicle department as soon as possible. The documents necessary to complete registration will be provided as part of your white glove delivery. You will be responsible for payment of all applicable taxes, registration and titling fees. Depending on your state, temporary license plates may be provided, so you can ride soon after taking delivery.

In the meantime, please consider and allow for the time necessary to process large shipment quantities. The SONDORS team is working diligently to fulfill all Metacycle orders as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

Order processing, inspections and deliveries are expected to continue throughout the next couple of months. You will be contacted directly within this time period via email concerning the preparation and delivery of your personal Metacycle order. Feel free to respond directly to this email if you have specific questions or require additional assistance.

Congratulations on being a part of SONDORS history, and for leading the way to a more sustainable future in transportation.

Sincerely,

And we shall see how long it takes for my “Supermassive” (Black) to be delivered!

May 5, 2022

Waiting on an EV…and trying to decide which one

I’ve been wanting to go away from internal combustion vehicles as much as possible and with my Sondors Metacycle arriving in June(ish) I’m heading in the right direction. It’s an in/around town motorcycle so I’ll be keeping the Africa Twin for longer rides, but for for those times where a quick run to the store or an appointment the use of an ICE vehicle won’t be necessary.

Back in late 2021 I ordered the Ford Lightning, but am likely pushed out to 2023 to finally order and receive. There are two other vehicles I’ve put pre-orders on are the CANOO and the APTERA and have also been considering the Tesla model Y.

The reason I want the Ford Lightning is its ability to be a power source for my home during power outages. With the number of windstorms/big trees/power lines above ground it’s something that happens here in Spokane a couple times a year. Most are only a few hours, but this winter the power was out for a few hours and I was about ready to startup my Champion generator to get some heat going, but then it turned on again. Hooray.

All of the vehicles (including Tesla) are out to 2023 at this point and all but the Tesla are unproven although Ford certainly has the infrastructure behind it to be successful.

My current vehicle is wonderful so I “can” wait, but it’ll sure be nice when I get the Lightning.

April 28, 2022

Metacycle getting closer to shipping!

I ordered a Sondors Metacycle about two years ago and it looks like they’re finally in production and expected by June…or sometime around June.

Some photos of a recent event where they had the black Metacycle available for rides.

Can’t wait to see what accessories will be available for the center.

If you’re interested in this motorcycle, check it out here: https://sondorsx.com/pages/metacycle

April 13, 2022

Roadtrip, but on 4 instead of 2 wheels

I attended a conference in Las Vegas in early April, 2022 and decided to drive down from Spokane, WA which is about 2,300 miles round trip.

I had thought about riding my Africa Twin down, but the second day from Twin Falls, ID to Las Vegas, NV turned out to be a very windy, rainy/snowy, and cold day so it would have been pretty miserable. I don’t mind the cold or rain/snow, but that wind was brutal.

On the way down I went through the Boise, ID area so that I could meet someone I had hired a year ago, but hadn’t met due to the pandemic. It was really nice to finally meet him and get to know each other a little bit better.

I then stopped in Twin Falls, ID for the night before heading onto Las Vegas. The conference was really worthwhile and it was so good to see so many friends again.

On the way back I went a bit east to go through SLC (horrible drivers) to stop in Missoula, MT to see some friends and then back to Spokane.

The second day on the drive back was also very cold with morning temperature around 27F with lots of snow in the mountain passes. Very beautiful, but not fun on a motorcycle.

The route was:

I used GoPro’s TimeWarp during some of the trip, but it still ended up being over 30 minutes for the 36 hours of driving.

There’s no sound, but if you play your favorite playlist it’ll make it a fun “drive”.

Cannot wait for my next big two wheel ride!

December 13, 2021

Moving away from Internal Combustion

I’m making my first foray into electric motorcycles with the purchase of the Sondors Metacycle. Due to the supply chain disruptions, and a brand new product creation/release the dates of release have been pushed into 2022 from late 2021. I’m looking forward to this machine arriving in April(?)…fingers crossed.

First thing I’ll do is replace the mirrors.

Here’s a review on the production version from Electrek.

I’ll keep my Africa Twin for my long distance rides, but for in town / near town the Metacycle should reduce my need to use any internal combustion vehicles.

Another bit of exciting news is that I’ve pre-ordered the Ford Lightning to replace my Ford 150 and I’m very happy to be moving away from an internal combustion engine to electric since it costs over $140 to fill the 38 gallon tank when the truck is empty. Here’s a review on the Lightning.

May 8, 2021

2021 Route Idea

This year I’m hoping to get back to a reasonably long ride and HOPEFULLY Canada will reopen to us if numbers are down and vaccinations are up among those who have resisted science and caring about your fellow human.

Really hoping we can get into Canada again! I miss it!

Get vaccinated if you can!

The route from Spokane, WA to Rapid City, SD takes many small highways and state roads and not Interstate Highways. This route is almost entirely new to me so I’m looking forward to seeing new parts of western US.

This route HOPES that we’re able to travel info Canada. If we’re still not able to travel into Canada I’ll have an alternate route south through CO/UT/OR.

If Canada isn’t open, this is the possible route:

July 3, 2020

2020 will be a different year for riding

I’ve decided to cancel my big ride this year and just do regional rides to areas I haven’t visited and where I can stay away from the general population as much as possible.

Check out my REVER page as I’ll be using that for those smaller rides.

March 2, 2020

2020 Ride

This year’s ride will take place in June or July and go through parts of the Idaho BDR north into Canada.

The proposed route is here:

Proposed route: Only around 1,000 miles so I’ll likely do another into western BC again…but avoiding Vancouver, BC.

March 2, 2020

2019 Ride

In July of 2019 I rode from Spokane, WA to Harvey, ND for a family reunion. On the way home I rode the old Highway 2 in ND, through MT to visit Scobey, MT where my Father’s blood family lived for a few years, then north into Canada to visit Assinaboia, SK where I saw a few photos with city signs in the background.

I’ll add additional photos and notes below.